Imaging apparatus, control method, and recording medium thereof

ABSTRACT

An imaging apparatus is provided including an imaging unit configured to obtain image data, a display unit, and a communication unit configured to communicate with a plurality of external apparatuses. The imaging apparatus further includes a storing unit configured to store person identification information including at least face image data while associating the person recognition information with information relating to the external apparatuses, a collation unit configured to collate a target in the image data with the person identification information, a detection unit configured to detect an external apparatus that is communicating with the imaging apparatus, and a display control unit configured to display a plurality of pieces of face image data on the display unit each as a candidate of a transmission destination of the image data in an order based on a result of collation by the collation unit and a result of detection by the detection unit.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/326,656, filed Dec. 2, 2008, which claims the benefit of JapanesePatent Application No. 2007-317336, filed Dec. 7, 2007, both of whichare hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OP THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to technology for transmitting capturedimage data to external devices.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, there has been technology for displaying face data andpersonal information utilising face recognition (identification)technology, which includes comparing captured image data withcharacteristic points of pre-registered face data to perform facerecognition (identification), and registering personal information, suchas a person's name, a telephone number, and an electronic mail (e-mail)address, as a pair with the face data.

In Japanese Patent. Application Laid-Open No. 2007-28077, a piece offace data and an address are stored in advance in combination.Characteristic data acquired from captured image data is compared withthe characteristic face data recorded in advance, and the matching rateis converted into a numeric value. Then, if the converted numeric valueexceeds a predetermined threshold, which means a match with a highdegree of accuracy, the address data associated with, the characteristicdata is selected as a communication destination. Then, the selectedaddress of the communication destination and associated thumbnail dataare displayed on a liquid crystal display. Further, even in cases wheretwo pieces of characteristic data do not match each other with a highdegree of accuracy, a plurality of pieces of characteristic data havinga high matching rate is extracted. Then, the address data associatedwith the extracted characteristic data and personal names (first names,surnames, etc.) are formed into a list for display on the liquid crystaldisplay. Further, if the number of displays of personal names is large,all of the displays maybe displayed via scrolling.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-165822, personalinformation for a person and information relating to person recognitionof the person are recorded in advance. Then, the person recognition isperformed on a captured image based on the information relating to theperson recognition, which has been recorded in advance. As a result ofthe recognition, if any one of the persons recorded in advance isrecognized in the captured image, the personal information of thatperson is read and displayed. Further, within the captured image, thepersonal information is superimposed, so that such information does notoverlap the main portion of the person image.

However, although Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-28077discusses displaying the candidates in a list, the transmissiondestination information (face image data) and the image to betransmitted cannot be simultaneously confirmed. Thus, the reconfirmationof the image to be transmitted requires a user's operation, which isinconvenient. Further, this technology also has a drawback that thepossibility of sending an unnecessary image is increased.

Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-165822,personal information is only displayed on the captured image. Thus, theconfirmation of the registered face image data requires a user'soperation, which is inconvenient. In addition, displaying the personalinformation where it does not overlap the main portion of the personimage may make it impossible to confirm the images of other persons.Further, since the personal information, is displayed based, on therecognition result, the incorrect personal information may be displayeddue to the low recognition accuracy. If communication is started basedon that information, there is a possibility of communicating with awrong person.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to providing a user interface havingexcellent usability in an imaging apparatus capable of selecting atransmission destination candidate for transmitting image data.

According to an aspect of the present invention, an imaging apparatusincludes an imaging unit configured to obtain image data by capturing anobject image including at least a target, a display unit configured todisplay the image data obtained by the imaging unit, a communicationunit configured to be capable of communicating with a plurality ofexternal apparatuses, a storing unit configured to store personidentification information including at least face image data whileassociating the person identification information with informationrelating to the external apparatuses, a collation unit configured, tocollate a target in the image data with the person identificationinformation, a detection unit configured to detect an external apparatusthat is communicating with the imaging apparatus via the communicationunit, and a display control unit configured to display a plurality ofpieces of the face image data on the display unit as transmissiondestination candidates of the image data in an order based on a resultof collation by the collation unit and a result of detection by thedetection unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method forcontrolling an imaging apparatus including an imaging unit configured toobtain image data by capturing an object image including at least atarget, a display unit configured to display the image data obtained bythe imaging unit, and a communication unit configured to communicatewith a plurality of external apparatuses, includes storing personidentification information including at least face image data whileassociating the person identification information with informationrelating to the external apparatuses, collating a target in the imagedata, with the person identification information, detecting an externalapparatus that is communicating with the imaging apparatus, anddisplaying a plurality of pieces of the face image data as transmissiondestination candidates of the image data in an order based on a resultof the collation and a result of the detection.

Further features and aspects of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description of exemplaryembodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification; illustrate exemplary embodiments, features,and aspects of the invention and, together with the description, serveto explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digitalcamera according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a networkwhich includes the digital camera according to the exemplary embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 2B is a rear view of the digital camera according to the exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating operations of the digital cameraaccording to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating transmission screen displayprocessing of the digital camera according to the exemplary embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating screen display processing of thedigital camera according to the exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating transmission processing of thedigital camera according to the exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating move destination determinationprocessing of the digital camera according to the exemplary embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating small screen display processing ofthe digital camera according to the exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the rear face and the screen displayduring the transmission screen display processing of the digital cameraaccording to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the screen display-after thetransmission processing of the digital camera according to the exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the screen display during transmissionconfirmation of the digital camera according to the exemplary embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating REC review processing of the digitalcamera according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the playback processing of thedigital camera according to the exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the screen display when a face frameof the digital camera is moved according to the exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the screen display during playback orthe REC review of the digital camera according to the exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the screen display when a face imagein a small screen of the digital camera is selected according to theexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the screen display when the selectedframe in the small screen of the digital camera is moved according tothe exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 18A to 18C are diagrams illustrating the display in the smallscreen when the selected frame in the small screen of the digital camerais moved according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating face image candidates in the smallscreen of the digital camera displayed in order of increasing similarityaccording to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the face image candidates in the smallscreen of the digital camera rearranged based on FIG. 19 consideringwhether transmission or reserved transmission has been completed,according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating the face image candidates in the smallscreen of the digital camera rearranged based on FIG. 20 consideringwhether connection has been completed, according to the exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Various exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of the inventionwill be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an example, inwhich an image captured by an imaging apparatus (a digital camera) istransmitted to another apparatus (another digital camera), will bedescribed.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digitalcamera 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment. The digitalcamera 1 includes an imaging unit 114, having a lens 101, an imagesensor 102, an analog to digital (A/D) conversion unit 103, and an imageprocessing unit 104, an operation unit 105, which is operable by a user,and a control unit 106. The digital camera 1 further includes a displayunit and small screen display unit 107, a communication unit 108, a facedetection unit 109, a face collation unit 110, a registration unit 111,and an image recording unit 112.

The imaging unit 114, the control unit 106, the display unit and smallscreen display unit 107, the communication unit 108, the face detectionunit 109, the face collation unit 110, the registration unit 111, andthe image recording unit 112 are interconnected via a bus 113. Further,the control unit 106 detects the state of the operation unit 105including,, for example, a power button, a shutter button, an arrow keyused for some other selection operation or menu operation, and adetermination button. In addition, information from the imaging unit114, the control unit 106, the face detection unit 109, the facecollation unit 110, the registration unit 111 and the image recordingunit 112 is also supplied to the display unit and small screen displayunit 107 via the bus 113. Each of these units will be described in moredetail below.

In the imaging unit 114, the image sensor 102 configured with chargecoupled device (CCD), complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), orthe like, converts an optical image formed by the lens 101 into anelectric signal. The A/D conversion unit 103 A/D converts image dataoutput from the image sensor 102. The image processing unit 104 performsimage processing, such as white balance and sharpness, on the A/Dconverted image data. Then, for example, the image processing unit 104performs compression processing into Joint Photographic Experts Group(JPEG) format, Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) format, or the like.Further, the imaging unit 114 includes an image buffer memory (notillustrated) and the like. In the digital camera 1, a captured image canbe temporarily saved in the buffer memory, and then stored in the imagerecording unit 112 including a recording medium such as a memory card,or transmitted to an external apparatus via the communication unit 108controlled by the control unit 106.

The operation unit 105 includes a switch or a button, operable by auser, a user interface (UI), and the like. The operation unit 105 isused to perform operations such as power on/off, shutter release,zooming, or an operation via the UI.

The control unit 106 performs overall control of the digital camera 1according to the present exemplary embodiment. The control unit 106includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM) forstoring a control program executable by the CPU, and a random accessmemory (RAM) for temporarily storing various types oil data duringexecution of the control processing by the CPU. In response to a triggergenerated by a user's operation, for example, a shutter releaseoperation, input from the operation unit 105, the control unit 106performs the processing of image capturing by the imaging unit 114,recording of the captured image data into the image recording unit 112,outputting by wired or wireless communication, power monitoring, facedetection, and registration of face identification information andtransmission destinations.

The display unit and small screen, display unit 107 has an electronicfinder function, a menu settings display function, a captured imagedisplay function, and a small screen display function, for displayingtransmission destination candidates when transmitting an image toanother digital camera. The display unit and small screen display unit107 displays images or the like on a liquid crystal panel.

The communication unit 108 has a wired or wireless communicationfunction. According to an instruction from the control unit 106, thecommunication, unit 108 establishes communication connection withanother apparatus to transmit/receive images, device information aboutother apparatuses, face image data, and the like.

The face detection unit 109 detects a face of a person in a live displayduring image capturing and in the display of a captured image. The facecollation unit 110 performs determination on face collation based on theface image data registered in the registration unit ill with respect tothe captured image.

The registration unit 111 registers device information of anothercommunication party in advance for transmitting/receiving image data anddevice information. Here, device information includes, for example, anIP address of another apparatus, wireless parameters required forwireless connection with another apparatus, a device ID for specifyinganother apparatus, and face image data as identification informationassociated with such information. The registration unit 111 is alsoconfigured to be capable of associating face image data, acquired fromanother apparatus via the communication unit 108, with a certain pieceof information, and capable of registering them. The image recordingunit 112 records the image data from the imaging unit 114 or image data,which is received by the communication unit 108, on a recording medium.

FIG. 2 A illustrates an example of a wireless network configured by thedigital camera 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment and anexternal apparatus. In the present exemplary embodiment, a wirelessnetwork is configured by wirelessly connecting the digital camera 1 asan imaging apparatus, with digital cameras 201, 202, and 203 as otherapparatuses. Each of the digital cameras 201, 202, and 203 has a similarconfiguration as that illustrated in FIG. 1. In such a wireless network,these devices included in the network have wireless connectioninformation of the other devices stored in a memory, and based on thatinformation the connection between the devices is performed.

FIG. 2B is a rear view of the digital camera 1 according to the presentexemplary embodiment. The digital camera 1 includes a display unit 210including a liquid crystal display and the like on its rear face. Thedigital camera 1 displays images, etc., on the display unit 210. Thedigital camera 1 also includes a plurality of operation, units to beoperated by a user. More specifically, the digital camera 1 includes aPS button 211, a SET button 212, an up key 213, a right, key 214, a downkey 215, and a left key 216 (hereinafter, sometimes collectivelyreferred to as up/down left/right keys 213, 214, 215, and 216). Thedigital camera 1 also includes a DISP button 217 and a MENU button 218.

Next, the operations executed by the digital camera 1 according to thepresent exemplary embodiment will be described below. FIG. 3 is aflowchart illustrating operations executed by the digital camera 1 afterits start-up. More specifically, FIG. 3 is a flowchart in which imagecapture processing, playback display processing of the captured image,registration processing of communication destination, communicationestablishment processing with another device, and power OFF processingare executed in response to a user's operation.

Once the power is turned on and the digital camera 1 is started up instep S301, first, in step S302, the control unit 106 of the digitalcamera 1 acquires an event, and the processing proceeds to step S303.

In step S303, the control unit 106 determines whether the event acquiredin step S302 is the “power OFF” or “battery exhausted” event. If theevent is the “power OFF” or “battery exhausted” event (YES in stepS303), the processing proceeds to step S304. Otherwise (NO in stepS303), the processing proceeds to step S305.

In step S305, the control unit 106 determines whether the event acquiredin step S302 is a “register communication destination” event. If theevent is the “register communication destination” event (YES in stepS305), the processing proceeds to step S306. Otherwise (NO in stepS305), the processing proceeds to step S307.

In step S307, the control, unit 106 determines whether the eventacquired in step S302 is the “establish communication” event. If theevent is the “establish communication” event (YES in step S307), theprocessing proceeds to step S308. Otherwise (NO in step S307), theprocessing proceeds to step S309.

In step S309, the control unit 106 determines whether the event acquiredin step S302 is a “capture image” event. If the event is the “captureimage” event (YES in step S309), then the processing proceeds to stepS310. Otherwise (NO in step S309), the processing proceeds to step S314.

In step S314, the control unit 106 determines whether the event acquiredin step S302 is a “playback” event. If the event is the “playback” event(YES in step S314), the processing proceeds to step S315. Otherwise (NOin step S314), the processing returns to step S302, and the control unit106 acquires an event again.

If it is determined in step S303 that the event is the “power OFF” or“battery exhausted” event (YES in step S303), the control unit 106 turnsthe power of the digital camera 1 OFF by executing power OFF processingin step S304, and finishes the processing in step S316.

Further, if it is determined in step S305 that the event is the“register communication destination” event (YES in step S305), thecontrol unit 106 executes communication destination registrationprocessing in step S306. In communication destination registrationprocessing, information on other devices for establishing communicationand face image data are registered. Examples of the face image data tobe registered include data on the owners of the other devices, and dataon the family of the owner. Further, the registration can be performedby acquiring face image data from the other devices and associating thedata with the information on other devices that is registered in theregistration unit 111. After the processing of step S306, the processingreturns to step S302, and the control unit 106 acquires an event again.

Further, if it is determined in step S307 that the event is the“establish communication” event (YES in step S307), in step S308, thecontrol unit 106 executes establish, communication processing. In theestablish communication processing, processing such as receiving aconnection request from an external apparatus, and communicationconnection if the external apparatus is already registered in theregistration unit 111, and not connecting if the external apparatus isnot already registered, is performed. After the processing of step S308,the processing returns to step S302, and the control unit 106 acquiresan event again,

Further, if it is determined in step S309 that the event is the “captureimage” event (YES in step S309), in step S310, the control unit 106first performs imaging processing. The imaging processing includescontrolling of the various sensors that measure the brightness of theobject, the object distance and the like to capture an image.

Next, in step S311, the control unit 106 performs image processing. Inthe image processing, signal processing of the image such as whitebalance processing and sharpness processing is performed. Then, forexample, compression processing into JPEG format, TIFF format or thelike is performed.

Next, in step S312, the control unit 106 performs record processing. Inthe record, processing, image data is recorded on an external recordingmedium.

Next, in step S313, the control unit 106 executes RFC review processing.Here, the REC review processing will be described below using theflowchart of FIG. 12,

Once the REC review processing is started in step S1201, first, in stepS1202, the control unit 106 displays on the display unit 210 illustratedin FIG. 2B an image immediately after it is captured, and the processingproceeds to step S1203.

In step S1203, the control unit 106 acquires an event. Next, in stepS1204, the control unit 106 determines whether the acquired event is a“display transmission screen” event. Examples of the events acquired instep S1203 include the “display transmission screen” event instructedthrough the SET button 212 illustrated in FIG. 9, and a “timeout” eventconcerning the captured image display time according to the set valueand the like.

If it is determined in step S1204 that the event acquired in step S1203is the “display transmission screen” event (YES in step S1204), in stepS1206, the control unit 106 performs display transmission screenprocessing. The details of the display transmission screen processingwill foe described below using the flowchart of FIG. 4. After thedisplay transmission screen processing in step S1206, the proceedingreturns to step S1203 to acquire an event.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1204 that, the eventacquired, in step S1203 is the “timeout” event (NO in step S1204), instep S1205, the control unit 106 stops displaying the played back image.Then, the control unit 106 finishes the REC review processing in stepS1207. The processing then returns to step S302 of FIG. 3, and thecontrol unit 106 acquires an event again.

Returning to FIG. 3, if it is determined in step S314 that the event isthe “playback” event (YES in step S314), in step S315, the control unit106 executes playback processing. Here, the playback processing of stepS315 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 13.

Once the playback processing is started in step S1301, first, in stepS1302, the control unit 106 displays on the display unit 210 illustratedin FIG. 2B the image recorded in the image recording unit 112. Morespecifically, typical single-image playback or thumbnail playback, inwhich a plurality of pieces of image data are displayed, is performed.

Next, in step S1303, the control unit 106 acquires an event. Examples ofthe events acquired here include the “display transmission screen”event, instructed through the SET button 212 illustrated in FIG. 2B, a“cancel playback” event instructed through the DISP button 217, and a“move to next image” event instructed through the up/down left/rightkeys 213, 214 , 215, and 216. If the playback image is only a singleimage, the “move to next image” event does not occur even if the up/downleft/right keys 213, 214, 215, and 216 are operated.

Next, in step S1304, the control unit 106 determines whether the eventacquired in step S1303 Is the “cancel playback” event. If the event isthe “cancel playback” event (YES in step S1304), the processing proceedsto step S1305. Otherwise (NO in step S1304), the processing proceeds tostep S1306.

In step S1306, the control unit 106 determines whether the eventacquired in step S1303 is the “display transmission screen” event. Ifthe event is the “display transmission screen” event (YES in stepS1306), the processing proceeds to step S1307. Otherwise (NO in stepS1306), the processing proceeds to step S1308.

In step S1308, the control unit 106 determines whether the eventacquired in step S1303 is a “move to next image” event. If the event isa “move to next image” event (YES in step S1308), the processingproceeds to step S1309. Otherwise (NO in step S1308), the processingreturns to step S1303, and the control unit 106 acquires an event again.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1304 that the event isthe “cancel playback” event (YES in step S1304), in step S1305, thecontrol unit 106 stops displaying the played back image, and finishesthe playback processing in step S1310.

Further, if it is determined in step S1306 that the event is the“display transmission screen” event (YES in step S1306), in step S1307,the control unit 106 performs a display transmission screen processing.Then, the processing returns to step S1303, and the control unit 106acquires an event again. The details of the display transmission screenprocessing will be described below using the flowchart of FIG. 4.

Further, if it is determined in step S1308 that the event is a “move tonext image” event (YES in step S1308), in step S1309, the control unit106 moves the played back image to the next image and displays thecaptured image in step S1302. Then, in step S1303, the control unit 106acquires an event again.

Here, the details of the display transmission screen processing in stepS1206 of FIG. 12, and step S1307 of FIG. 13 will be described usingFIGS. 4 to 11, and 14 to 21.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the details of the displaytransmission screen processing.

Once the display transmission screen processing is started in step S401,first, in step S402, the control unit 106 detects faces in the imagedisplayed in the playback. Here, the processing is repeated until all ofthe faces are detected. Once all of the faces in the image have beendetected (YES in step S402), the processing proceeds to the imagedisplay processing of step S403.

In step S403, the control unit 106 displays an image like thatillustrated in FIG. 9 on the display unit 210. The details of the imagedisplay processing will be described below using the flowchart of FIG.5.

FIG. 9 will now be described. FIG. 9 is a rear view of the digitalcamera 1. In FIG. 9, an image 900 is displayed according to the displaytransmission screen processing on the display unit 210. In the image900, face frames 901 and 902 are displayed around the faces in the image900, which is detected in the face detection processing of step S402 inFIG. 4. Here, the face regions, on which the face frames 901 and 902 aredisplayed, can be selected by operating the up/down left/right keys 213,214, 215, and 216 to move a cursor. The face frame 902, which isdisplayed in bold line, indicates that this face frame is currentlyselected by the cursor. This small screen 903 is a region that displaysa candidate list of the face images in order of increasing similarity.The list is made by comparing the faces, which are detected in the facedetection processing of step S402, with registered face image data. Adisplay 904 is used to notify a user of the presence of the nextcandidate when not all of the face image candidates for the facesdetected in step S402 can be displayed in the small screen 903. In thepresent exemplary embodiment, though an arrow mark is displayed, forexample, when not all of the face image candidates can be displayed, anyother means can be employed. Examples of other means include providing aunit which notifies when not all the face image candidates can bedisplayed and a unit which can reference the face image candidates thatcould not be displayed. Further, a face frame 905 is displayed in thesmall screen 903 to indicate the selected face.

Returning to FIG. 4, once, display of the image has been finished in theimage display processing of step S403, in step S404, the control unit106 acquires an event, and the processing proceeds to step S405.Examples of the event acquired in step S404 include a move (select) faceframe event of the face frames 901 and 902 instructed through theup/down left/right keys 213, 214, 215, and 216, a selection event of theselected frame in the small screen 903 instructed through the SET button212, a finish processing event instructed through the DIS button 217,and a transmission/reserved transmission event instructed through theMENU button 218.

In step S405, the control unit 106 determines whether the event acquiredin step S404 is a “finish processing” event. If the event is the “finishprocessing” event (YES in step S405), the processing proceeds to stepS406. Otherwise (NO in step S405), the processing proceeds to step S407.

In step S407, the control unit 106 determines whether the event acquiredin step S404 is a “move face frame” event. If the event is the “moveface frame” event (YES in step S407), the processing proceeds to stepS408. Otherwise (NO in step S407), the processing proceeds to step S410.

In step S410, the control unit 106 determines whether the event acquiredin step S404 is a “select small screen” event. If the event is the“select small screen” event (YES in step S410), the processing proceedsto step S411. Otherwise (NO in step S410), the processing proceeds tostep S422.

In step S422, the control unit 106 determines whether the event acquiredin step S404 is the “transmission/reserved, transmission” event. If theevent is the “transmission/reserved transmission” event (YES in stepS422), the processing proceeds to step S410. Otherwise (NO in stepS422), the processing returns to step S404, and the control unit 106acquires an event again.

If it is determined in step S405 that the event is the “finishprocessing” event (YES in step S405), in step S406, the control unit 106executes delete face frame and small screen processing. In delete faceframe and small screen processing, according to FIG. 9, the face frames901 and 902 and the small screen 903 are deleted. Once the delete faceframe and small screen, processing is finished in step S406, in stepS423, the control unit 106 finishes the display transmission screenprocessing, and an image 1500 illustrated in FIG. 15 is displayed on onedisplay unit 210.

Further, if it is determined in step S407 that the event is the “moveface frame” event (YES in step S407), in step S408, the control unit 106executes move destination determination processing. The details of themove destination determination processing of step S408 will be describedbelow using the flowchart of FIG. 7. Once the move destinationdetermination processing is finished in step S408, in step S409, thecontrol unit 106 executes image display processing, and then performsthe event, acquisition of step S404 again. The details of the imagedisplay processing of step S409 will be described below using theflowchart of FIG. 5. Further, if the move destination determinationprocessing of step S408 is performed and then the image displayprocessing of step S409 is performed, according to FIG. 9, this meansthat the selected face frame switches in FIG. 9 from the face framedisplay 902 to the face frame 901. That is, the state is switched fromthe state of the image 900 illustrated in FIG. 9 to the state of image1400 illustrated in FIG. 14. In FIG. 14, the face frame 1401 iscurrently selected, which is displayed in bold line on the display unit210 and the face frame 1402 is not selected.

Further, if it is determined in step S410 that the event is the “selectsmall screen” event (YES in step S410), in step S411, the control unit106 executes change the selected face frame processing. For example,this processing changes the selected face frame of the image data from“four-cornered surround frame of face” to “surround frame of face”, sothat an image 1600 illustrated in FIG. 16 is displayed, on the displayunit 210. The face frame display 1601 surrounding the face in FIG. 16corresponds to the “four-cornered surround of face” face frame 902 ofFIG. 9. In addition, the processing of this step S411 means that theselection of the face detected, in the image has been completed.

In step S412, the control unit 106 executes small screen displayprocessing, and then in step S413 acquires an event. The details of thesmall screen display processing of step S412 will be described belowusing the flowchart of FIG. 8. In addition, examples of the eventsacquired in step S413 include a “cancel small screen selection” eventinstructed through the DISP button 217, the “transmission/reservedtransmission” event instructed through the PS button 211, and a “moveface frame in the small screen” event instructed through the right key214 and the left, key 216.

After the event acquisition in step S413, in step S414, the control unit106 determines whether the event acquired in step S413 is the “cancelsmall screen selection” event. If the event is the “cancel small screenselection” event (YES in step S414), the processing proceeds to stepS415. Otherwise (NO in step S414), the processing proceeds to step S416.

In step S416, the control unit 106 determines whether the event acquiredin step S413 is the “move face frame in the small screen” event. If theevent is the “move face frame in the small screen” event (YES in stepS416), the processing proceeds to step S417. Otherwise (NO in stepS416), the processing proceeds to step S418.

In step S418, the control unit 106 determines whether the event acquiredin step S413 is the “transmission/reserved transmission” event, If theevent is the “transmission/reserved transmission” event (YES in stepS418), then the processing-proceeds to step S419. Otherwise (NO in stepS418), then the processing returns to step S413, and the control unit106 acquires an event again.

If it is determined in step S414 that the event is the “cancel smallscreen selection” event (YES in step S414), in step S415, the controlunit 106 changes the selected face frame from, “surround frame of face”to “four-cornered surround frame of face”, and displays the. image onthe display unit 210. The processing then returns to step S404, and thecontrol unit 106 acquires an event again. In addition, the processing ofthis step S415 means that the selection of the face detected in theimage is canceled.

Further, if it is determined in step S416 that the event is the “moveface frame in the small screen” event (YES in step S416), in step S417,the control unit 106 moves the selected frame in the small screen, andexecutes the small screen display processing of step S412. For example,if the image 1600 illustrated in FIG. 16 is being displayed, by anoperation, of the right key 214, the image 1700 illustrated in FIG. 17is displayed on the display unit 210, so that the selected face framechanges to the selected frame 1701.

Here, FIGS. 18A to 18C illustrate movement examples of the selected facein the small screen, or in other words, movement examples of theselected frame. In FIG. 18A, the small screen 1801 illustrates a list ofthe currently displayed face image candidates, and a selected frame 1802indicates that a face image 1806 is selected. In this state, if theright key 214 is operated, as illustrated in FIG. 18B, the display ofthe face image 1803 disappears, the face images 1804, 1805, and 1806 areshifted to the left, a face image 1807 is newly displayed, and a newsmall screen 1808 is displayed. An arrow 1809 indicates that adisplayable face image exists if the left key 216 is operated. An arrow1810 similarly indicates that a displayable face image exists if theright key 214 is operated. In addition, a frame 1811 denotes that it isthe currently selected frame. Further, when the small screen 1808 isdisplayed, if the right key 214 is operated, as illustrated, in FIG.18C, a new small screen 1813 is displayed, in which case a frame 1814denotes that it is the currently selected frame. The left and rightarrow marks (1809, 1810 etc.) are not displayed when there are no imagesto be displayed by operation of the right key 214 or left key 216. Thatis, in the small screen 1801, since there are no face images to bedisplayed by the operation of the left key 216, the left arrow mark isnot displayed, while in the small screen 1813, since there are no faceimages to be displayed by the operation of the right key 214, the rightarrow mark is not displayed.

Returning to FIG. 4, if it is determined in step S418 or S422 that theevent is the “transmission/reserved transmission” event (YES in stepS418 or step S422), then in step S419, the control unit 106 firstexecutes transmission processing. The details of the transmissionprocessing will be described below using the flowchart of FIG. 6. Aftertransmission processing in step S419, the move destination determinationprocessing of step S420 and the image display-processing of step S421are performed, so that an image 1000 illustrated in FIG. 10 is displayedon the display unit 210. Then, the processing returns to step S404 toperform the event acquisition again,

Next, the details of the image display processing (steps S403, S409, andS421 of FIG. 4) will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 5.

Once the image display processing of step S501 is started, first, instep S502, the control unit 106 performs face collation of the selectedface with face image data of the registration unit 111, and calculatessimilarity there between to pick up a plurality of face image candidateswhich have similarity equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold.As the face collation method, characteristic points (distance betweeneyes, positions of tine eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth, positions ofthe ears, etc.) are extracted from the selected face and each of theregistered face images, compared, and a plurality of face imagecandidates, which have similarity equal to or higher than, apredetermined threshold, are picked up. It is noted that a method otherthan that described in the present exemplary embodiment can be employedas the face collation method.

Next, in step S503, the control unit 106 rearranges the candidates inincreasing possibility that they are of the same person based on theresult of the comparison in characteristic points. At this stage, thecontrol unit 106 determines whether each face image is associated withanother apparatus, which is currently connected (communicationestablished) to the imaging apparatus, or whether each face image isassociated with a device, for which transmission or reservedtransmission has already been completed. Based on these results, thecontrol unit 106 further rearranges or refines the candidates. Thedisplay order of the face candidates of step S503 will be describedusing FIGS. 19 to 21.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating face images rearranged from the leftin order of increasing similarity based on the results in step S502.FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the results in which re arrangementwas performed with the priority set at its lowest when transmission orreserved transmission of the face image 1903 illustrated in FIG. 19 hasbeen completed. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating the results in whichrearrangement was performed after the rearrangement of FIG. 20, with thepriority set at its highest when connection of the face images 1901,1904, and 1905 has been completed. That is, in step S503, the faceimages are rearranged in order of increasing similarity of the collationresults while setting the priority of the face images for whichtransmission or reserved transmission has been completed to the lowestlevel and the priority of the face image data for which connection hasbeen completed to the highest level. Further, the rearrangement of theimage candidates can be performed based on the settings in the menu asto whether transmission or reserved transmission has been completed orwhether connection has been completed. To realise the above-describedprocessing, the digital camera 1 according to the present exemplaryembodiment has a connection state detection unit, which detects theconnection state with other apparatuses, and a transmissiondetermination unit, which determines whether image data has beentransmitted to the other apparatuses.

Returning to FIG. 5, in step S504, the control unit 106 determineswhether transmission or reserved transmission has been completed. Iftransmission or reserved transmission has been completed (YES in stepS504), in step S506, the face frame 1002 is displayed in dotted lineillustrated in FIG. 10. On the other hand, if transmission or reservedtransmission is not yet completed (NO in step S504), in step S505, theface frame 1001 is displayed in bold line, illustrated in FIG. 10, ifthe face frame is selected. Thus, by determining whether transmission orreserved transmission has been completed, and changing the display styleof the face frame in the image data according to the determinationresult, the determination as to whether transmission or reservedtransmission has been completed can be confirmed without a user'soperation.

Next, in step S507, the control unit 106 detects whether connection hasbeen completed. If connection has been completed (YES in step S507), instep S508, the color of the face frame is changed. On the other hand, ifthe connection is not yet completed (NO in step S507), the color of theface frame is not changed, and in step S509, a small screen 903illustrated in FIG. 9 is displayed. Then, the processing is finished instep S510. Thus, by changing the display style of the face frame or byturning on the LED of a user-operation button based on the detectionresults of whether connection of a face image has been completed, thedetermination as to whether connection has been completed can beconfirmed without a user's operation.

FIG. 10 illustrates an image in which the face frame 1601 illustrated inFIG. 16 has been selected and transmitted. In FIG. 10, the face, frameof the transmitted (including reserved transmission) face candidate isdisplayed in dotted line, and the face frame 1001 which is selected,next is displayed in bold line, or in other words, the selection hasbeen replaced. Further, although the face frame for which transmissionhas been completed is displayed in dotted line, the color of the faceframe display may be changed or the color inside the face frame can bechanged. Further, in the small screen 1003, the face image selected bythe face frame 1601 illustrated in FIG. 16 is excluded in the list offace image candidates displayed.

Further, when, it is detected that a new digital camera has connected tothe network to which the digital camera 1 is connected, or when adigital camera which is connected is disconnected from the network, theprocessing illustrated in FIG. 5 is performed again. In this manner, theface images in the small screen 1003 illustrated in FIG. 9 areconstantly kept updated to the most recent state.

Next, the details of the transmission processing (step S419 of FIG. 4)will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 6. Here, the digitalcamera 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment, has immediatetransmission and reserved transmission as functions for transmitting theimages. The details will now be described according to the flowchart.

Once the transmission processing is started in step S601, first, in stepS602, the control unit 106 determines whether a single transmissionbutton is shared for the immediate transmission and reservedtransmission. Whether to have the shared transmission button can be setin the menu etc.

If it is determined in step S602 that the transmission button is shared(YES in step S602), in step S603, the control unit 106 determineswhether the communication has been connected. If the connection with thetransmission destination apparatus has been completed (YES in stepS603), in step S605, the control unit 106 starts transmission. Then, fortransmission confirmation, an image 1101 to be transmitted is displayedin a scaled down manner like the image 1100 illustrated in FIG. 11. Thesmall screen 1102 is displayed below the image 1101 and the face image1104 is displayed to the side in an enlarged manner (1103). Afterdisplaying in an enlarged manner, transmission of the image is started.At this stage, the transmission can be started by displaying a messageinquiring whether to start transmission and then pressing down the SETbutton 212.

Next, if it is determined by the connection completion determination ofstep S603 that the transmission destination apparatus is not connected(NO in step S603), in step S606, the control unit 106 enlarges the faceimage in the same manner as during transmission, displays a message,sets the face image data as the reserved image, and finishes theprocessing in step S607.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the transmission button isnot shared (NO in step S602), in step S604, the control unit 106determines whether the designated processing is a transmission or areserved transmission. In the present, exemplary embodiment, the PSbutton 211 is used as the transmission button, and the MENU button 218is used as the reserved transmission button. If the PS button 211 ispressed down (TRANSMISSION in step S604), in step S605, the face imageis enlarged and transmission is performed, and then the processing isfinished in step S607. Further, if the MENU button 218 is pressed down(RESERVED TRANSMISSION in step S604), in step S606, the face image isenlarged, a message is displayed, the face image data is set as thereserved image, and then the processing is finished in step S607. Inaddition, in the case of reserved transmission, image data istransmitted collectively immediately after connection is established.

Next, the details of the move destination determination processing (stepS420 of FIG. 4) will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 7.

Once the move destination determination processing is started in seepS701, first, in step S702, the control unit 106 determines whether thereis a detected face other than the currently selected face, or in otherwords, whether there is another move destination (selectiondestination). If there is (YES in step S702), the processing proceeds tostep S703, and if there is not (NO in step S702), the processingproceeds to step S705.

In step S703, the control unit 106 moves to another move destination,and in step S704, determines whether the connection of the next movedestination is completed. If it is determined in the determinationprocessing of step S704 that the connection of the next move destinationhas not been completed (NO in step S704), the determination of step S702as to whether there is another move destination is performed again. Ifthe connection of the next move destination is completed (YES in stepS704), in step S705, the move destination is determined, and theprocessing is finished in step S706. Further, if it is determined instep S702 that there is no other move destination (NO in step S702), instep S705, the current position is determined as the move destination,and the processing is finished in step S706.

Next, the details of the small screen display processing will bedescribed using the flowchart of FIG. 8.

Once the small screen display processing is started in step S801, first,in step S802, the control unit 106 determines whether connection of theselected face image has been completed. If it has been completed (YES instep S802), in step S803, the control unit 106 changes the color of theface frame in the small screen or turns on the LED in the PS button 211,and finishes the small screen display processing in step S805. Ifconnection of the selected face image has not been completed (NO in stepS802), in step S804, the control unit 106 flashes the face frame in thesmall screen, and finishes the small screen display processing in stepS805.

Thus, in the digital camera 1 according to the present exemplaryembodiment, a target (face) in the image data is detected, registeredface images relating to the detected face are displayed on the samescreen as the image data, and a transmission destination for that imagedata can be selected from the displayed face images. Further, thetransmission destination is determined by a user from the selected faceimage, and the image data can be transmitted via wireless communicationand the like. If there is a plurality of detected faces, selectableframes are displayed around the image data, and the registered faceimages for the selected, face are displayed. Thereby, a user interfacecan be provided, which allows easy confirmation of the transmissiondestination, so that especially transmission of image data to a wrongapparatus can be avoided. In addition, while in the present exemplaryembodiment face images are displayed as transmission destinationcandidates, in addition to the face images, other identificationinformation of the person (name etc.) can also be simultaneouslydisplayed.

Further, by allowing a plurality of registered face images relating tothe detected face to be displayed in order of increasing collation astransmission destination candidates and to be selected, the number ofuser operations can be reduced, and the possibility of a mistakentransmission to a wrong apparatus can be avoided even if a mistake wasmade in the collation results.

Further, during transmission, after the selection of the transmissiondestination from the image data, in which the transmission destinationcandidates are displayed, by displaying the face image in an enlargedmanner on the same screen, the determination of the transmissiondestination can be performed more accurately.

Further, the present exemplary embodiment is

configured so that when not all of the face image candidates can bedisplayed on the same screen as the image data, the face images aredisplayed in a scrollable manner which allows their display to beswitched. Thereby, confirmation of ail of the candidate face images canbe performed. As a result, usability can be improved.

Further, after the transmission of image data based on one face wheretwo or more selectable faces were detected in the image data, the nextface is automatically selected. In addition, the registered face imagescorresponding to that face are displayed. As a result, the number ofuser's operations can be reduced, and usability can be improved.

Further, since the digital camera 1 according to the present exemplaryembodiment has both an immediate transmission function and a reservedtransmission function of the image data, usability is improved. Inaddition, usability is improved, as a result of reducing the number ofuser's operations by determining whether the connection of thetransmission destination digital camera has been completed (transmissionestablishment completed), and automatically performing immediatetransmission and reserved transmission. Further, a user interface with ahigh usability can be provided, and usability of the digital camera, canbe improved, by enabling the operations during immediate transmissionand reserved transmission to be performed in a similar operation (inother words, also providing a function for separating the user'soperations of immediate transmission and reserved transmission).

Further, when the transmission destination face image candidates aredisplayed, in addition to a high collation accuracy, the face imagecandidates are rearranged or refined by considering whether thecommunication connection with the other apparatuses has currently beencompleted, and whether the transmission (including reservedtransmission) of the image data has already been completed. As a result,the transmission destination candidates can automatically be refined,which allows the number of user's operations to be reduced, therebyimproving usability.

Further, by determining whether the connection of the face imageselected among the face image candidates is completed, and by changingthe face frame display or turning on an LED of the user-operation,buttons, the determination as to whether the connection has beencompleted can be confirmed without a user's operation.

Further, since the selection of the face frame display in the image datais performed by determining whether the connection is completed so thatthe face frame can be moved by giving preference to the completedconnections, the number of user's operations can be reduced, whichimproves usability.

Further, usability is improved by changing the display method (displaystyle) of the face frame in the image data based, on whethertransmission (including reserved transmission) has been completed orwhether connection has been completed, and by allowing the determinationas to whether the connection has been completed to be confirmed withouta user's operation.

Further, in the digital camera 1 according to the present exemplaryembodiment, face image data from another apparatus can be acquired andassociated with the device information of the other apparatus registeredin the registration unit 111. As a result, the collation accuracy of theface image data can be increased. Further, by displaying the acquiredface image data in the image data, the possibility of transmitting tothe wrong party can be avoided. The face image data for use in facecollation does not need to be registered during registration, whichallows the number of user's operations to be reduced, In addition,though the plurality of face images are arranged in order of theincreasing priority as illustrated in FIG. 19 to FIG. 21, it is notlimited to this exemplary embodiment. For example, only face imageshaving a high priority can be displayed, while face images having a lowpriority cannot be displayed. Furthermore, a face frame can be displayedaround a face image having a high priority, which is different from aface frame having a low priority.

To realize the present invention, a recording medium, on which theprogram code of a software program (computer program) for realizing thefunctions of the above-described present exemplary embodiment is stored,can also be used. In the case, the present invention is achieved bysupplying the recording medium to a system or an apparatus, and byhaving a computer (or a central processing unit or micro processingunit) in that system or apparatus read and execute the program codestored in the recording medium.

In this case, the program code itself, which is read from a recordingmedium, realizes the function of the above-described exemplaryembodiment, so that the program code itself and the recording medium, onwhich the program code is stored, constitute the present invention.

Examples of the recording medium for supplying the program code includefloppy disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, compactdisc-read-only memory (CD-ROM), compact disc-recordable (CD-R), magnetictapes, non-volatile memory cards, read-only memory (ROM) and the like.

Further, the present invention also includes oases where the operatingsystem (OS) or the basic system, which is running on the computer,performs all or part of the actual processing according to aninstruction of that program code.

In addition, the program code, which is read from the recording medium,can be written into a memory which is provided on a function expansionboard inserted into a computer or a function expansion unit connected tothe computer. In such case, based on an instruction from that program, aCPU, provided on that function expansion board or function expansionunit, can perform ail or part of the actual processing.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed, exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all modifications, equivalent, structures, and functions.

1. An imaging apparatus having an imaging unit configured to obtainimage data by capturing an object image including at least a target, adisplay unit configured to display the image data obtained by theimaging unit, and a communication unit configured to be capable ofcommunicating with a plurality of external apparatuses, the imagingapparatus comprising: a storing unit configured to store personidentification information while associating the person identificationinformation with information relating to an external apparatus, whereinthe person identification information includes information related toface image data; a collation unit configured to collate a targetdetected from the image data with the person identification information;a detection unit configured to detect an external apparatus that iscommunicating with the imaging apparatus via the communication unit; anda display control unit configured to display a plurality of pieces ofrepresentation data corresponding to the person identificationinformation on the display unit each as a candidate of a transmission,destination of the image data in an order based on a result of collationby the collation unit, wherein the display control unit is configured todisplay representation data corresponding to the person identificationinformation, which is associated with the external apparatus, in adifferent, style depending on whether the external apparatus isdetermined by the detection unit to be communicating with the imagingapparatus or not to be communicating therewith.
 2. The imaging apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising a first selection unitconfigured to select a piece of representation data corresponding to theperson identification information from among the plurality of pieces ofrepresentation data corresponding to the person identificationinformation displayed on the display unit, wherein the communicationunit is configured to transmit the image data to an external apparatusthat is associated with the selected piece of representation dataselected by the first selection unit.
 3. The imaging apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured topreferentially display at least one piece of representation datacorresponding to the person identification information, which isassociated with an external apparatus determined by the detection unitto be communicating with the imaging apparatus.
 4. The imaging apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the collation unit is configured todetermine similarity between a target in the image data and the personidentification information, and wherein the display control unit isconfigured to preferentially display at least one piece ofrepresentation data corresponding to person identification informationthe similarity of which is determined to be higher than a predeterminedvalue.
 5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprisinga second selection unit configured to select a target from among targetsin the image data, wherein the collation unit is configured to collatethe target selected by the second selection unit with the personidentification information.
 6. The imaging apparatus according to claim2, further comprising a reservation unit configured to reservetransmission of the image data when the external apparatus associatedwith the piece of representation data selected by the first selectionunit is not communicating with the imaging apparatus via thecommunication unit.
 7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the display control unit is configured to display an index,which is superimposed on the image data, indicating that a target in theimage data is detected, and wherein the display control unit isconfigured to change a display style of the index based on a result ofdetection by the detection unit.
 8. The imaging apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured to displayrepresentation data corresponding to person identification information,which is associated with an external apparatus, in a different styledepending on whether the external apparatus is determined by thedetection unit to be communicating with the imaging apparatus or not tobe communicating therewith.
 9. The imaging apparatus according to claim1, wherein the display control unit is configured to preferentiallydisplay representation data corresponding to person identificationinformation, which is associated with an external apparatus to which theimage data has not been transmitted.
 10. The imaging apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured to displaythe plurality of pieces of representation data corresponding to theperson identification information on the display unit again in an orderbased on a result of detection by the detection unit when communicationwith the external apparatus communicating with the imaging apparatus isdetected to have been disconnected, or when a new external apparatus isdetected to be communicating with the imaging apparatus.
 11. An imagingapparatus having an imaging unit configured to obtain image data bycapturing an object image including at least a target, a display unitconfigured to display the image data obtained by the imaging unit, and acommunication unit configured to be capable of communicating with aplurality of external apparatuses, the imaging apparatus comprising: astoring unit configured to store person identification information whileassociating the person identification information with informationrelating to an external apparatus, wherein the person identificationinformation includes information related to face image data; a collationunit configured to collate a target detected from the image data withthe person identification information; a detection unit configured todetect an external apparatus that is communicating with the imagingapparatus via the communication unit; and a display control unitconfigured to display a plurality of pieces of representation datacorresponding to the person identification information on the displayunit each as a candidate of a transmission destination of the imagedata, wherein the display control unit causes the display unit todisplay the plurality of pieces of the representation data correspondingto the person identification information differently in appearance,based on a result of collation by the collation unit.
 12. The imagingapparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a first selectionunit configured to select a piece of representation data correspondingto the person identification information from among the plurality ofpieces of representation data corresponding to the person identificationinformation displayed on the display unit, wherein the communicationunit is configured to transmit the image data to an external apparatusthat is associated with the piece of representation data selected by thefirst selection unit.
 13. The imaging apparatus according to claim 11,wherein the display control unit is configured to display at least onepiece of representation data corresponding to the person identificationinformation, which is related to the external apparatus that isdetermined to be communicating with the imaging apparatus, differentlyin appearance from at least one piece of representation datacorresponding to the person identification information, which is relatedto the external apparatus that is determined not to be communicatingwith the imaging apparatus.
 14. The imaging apparatus according to claim11, wherein the collation unit is configured to determine similaritybetween a target in the image data and the person identificationinformation.
 15. The imaging apparatus according to claim 11, furthercomprising a second selection unit configured to select a target fromamong targets in the image data, wherein the collation unit isconfigured to collate the target selected by the second selection unitwith the person identification information.
 16. The imaging apparatusaccording to claim 12, further comprising a reservation unit configuredto reserve transmission of the image data when the external apparatusassociated with the piece of representation data selected by the firstselection unit is not communicating with the imaging apparatus via thecommunication unit.
 17. The imaging apparatus according to claim 11,wherein the display control unit is configured to display an index,which is superimposed on the image data, indicating that a target in theimage data is detected, and wherein the display control unit isconfigured to change a display style of the index based on a result ofdetection by the detection unit.
 18. The imaging apparatus according toclaim 11, wherein the display control unit is configured topreferentially display representation data corresponding to personidentification information associated with an external apparatus towhich the image data has not been transmitted.
 19. An imaging apparatushaving an imaging unit configured to obtain image data by capturing anobject image including at least a target, a display unit configured todisplay the image data obtained by the imaging unit, and a communicationunit configured to be capable of communicating with a plurality ofexternal apparatuses, the imaging apparatus comprising: a storing unitconfigured to store person identification information while associatingthe person identification information with information relating to anexternal apparatus, wherein the person identification informationincludes information related to face image data; a collation unitconfigured to collate a target detected from the image data with theperson identification information; a detection unit configured to detectan external apparatus that is communicating with the imaging apparatusvia the communication unit; and a display control unit, configured todisplay a plurality of pieces of representation data corresponding tothe person identification information on the display unit each as acandidate of a transmission destination of the image data, based on aresult of collation by the collation unit.
 20. A method for controllingan imaging apparatus including an imaging unit configured to obtainimage data by capturing an obi set image including at least a target, adisplay unit configured to display the image data obtained by theimaging unit, and a communication unit configured to communicate with aplurality of external apparatuses, the method comprising: storing personidentification information while associating the person identificationinformation with information relating to the external apparatuses,wherein the person identification information includes informationrelated to face image data; collating a target in the image data withthe person identification information; detecting an external apparatusthat is communicating with the imaging apparatus; and displaying aplurality of pieces of representation data corresponding to the personidentification information each as a transmission destination candidateof the image data in an order based on a result of the collation.
 21. Amethod for controlling an imaging apparatus including an imaging unitconfigured to obtain image data by capturing an object image includingat least a target, a display unit configured to display the image dataobtained by the imaging unit, and a communication unit configured tocommunicate with a plurality of external apparatuses, the methodcomprising: storing person identification information while associatingthe person identification information with information relating to theexternal apparatuses, wherein the person identification informationincludes information related to face image data; collating a target inthe image data with the person identification information; detecting anexternal apparatus that is communicating with the imaging apparatus; anddisplaying a plurality of pieces of representation data corresponding tothe person identification information each as a candidate of atransmission destination of the image data, wherein the display unitdisplays the plurality of pieces of representation data corresponding tothe person identification information differently in appearance, basedon a result of the collation and a result of the detection.
 22. A methodfor controlling an imaging apparatus including an imaging unitconfigured to obtain image data by capturing an object image includingat least a target, a display unit configured to display the image dataobtained by the imaging unit, and a communication unit configured tocommunicate with a plurality of external apparatuses, the methodcomprising: storing person identification information while associatingthe person identification information with information relating to theexternal apparatuses, wherein the person identification informationincludes information related to face image data; collating a target inthe image data with the person identification information; detecting anexternal apparatus that is communicating with the imaging apparatus; anddisplaying a plurality of pieces of representation data corresponding tothe person identification information each as a candidate of atransmission destination of the image data, based on a result of thecollation.
 23. A computer-readable storage medium containingcomputer-executable instructions for controlling an imaging apparatusincluding an imaging unit configured to obtain image data by capturingan object image including at least a target, a display unit configuredto display the image data obtained by the imaging unit, and acommunication unit configured to communicate with a plurality ofexternal apparatuses, the medium comprising: computer-executableinstructions for storing person identification information whileassociating the person identification information with informationrelating to the external apparatuses, wherein the person identificationinformation includes information related to face image data;computer-executable instructions for collating a target in the imagedata with the person identification information; computer-executableinstructions for detecting an external apparatus that is communicatingwith the imaging apparatus; and computer-executable instructions fordisplaying a plurality of pieces of representation data corresponding tothe person identification information each as a transmission destinationcandidate of the image data in an order based on a result of thecollation.
 24. A computer-readable storage medium containingcomputer-executable instructions for controlling an imaging apparatusincluding an imaging unit configured to obtain image data by capturingan object image including at least a target, a display unit configuredto display the image data obtained by the imaging unit, and acommunication unit configured to communicate with a plurality ofexternal apparatuses, the computer-executable instructions comprising:computer-executable instructions for storing person identificationinformation while associating the person identification information withinformation relating to the external apparatuses, wherein the personidentification information includes information related to face imagedata; computer-executable instructions for collating a target in theimage data with the person identification information;computer-executable instructions for detecting an external apparatusthat is communicating with the imaging apparatus; andcomputer-executable instructions for displaying a plurality of pieces ofrepresentation data corresponding to the person identificationinformation each as a candidate of a transmission destination of theimage data, wherein the display unit displays the plurality of pieces ofrepresentation data corresponding to the person identificationinformation differently in appearance, based on a result of thecollation and a result of the detection.
 25. A computer-readable storagemedium containing computer-executable instructions for controlling animaging apparatus including an imaging unit configured to obtain imagedata by capturing an object image including at least a target, a displayunit configured to display the image data obtained by the imaging unit,and a communication unit configured to communicate with a plurality ofexternal apparatuses, the computer-executable instructions comprising:computer-executable instructions for storing person identificationinformation while associating the person identification information withinformation relating to the external apparatuses, wherein the personidentification information includes information related to face imagedata; computer-executable instructions for collating a target, in theimage data with the person identification information;computer-executable instructions for detecting an external apparatusthat is communicating with the imaging apparatus; and displaying aplurality of pieces of representation data corresponding to the personidentification information each as a candidate of a transmissiondestination of the image data, based on a result of the collation.